Originally Posted by IronMan @ ValeTudo

The stream of idiotic media coverage produced by FOX aside, every once in a while they talk about MMA, and when they do, I find myself looking at the screwdriver on the kitchen counter and conteplate (momentarily) driving it through my temple.

The latest piece of stupidity comes from FOX Sports writer Mark Kriegel, in a poorly produced video segment that demonstrates just how little thought the mainstream media puts into its commentary on the sport. Kriegel’s claims center around a single statement: that the UFC lacks a crossover figure.

It cannot be clearly defined as a stupid statement (though his assertion that Chuck Liddell was about to break into the mainstream before he started getting beaten regularly is ridiculous, moronic and ill-informed, as Liddell was a five time UFC champion and leading icon in the sport at the time of his loss to Rampage).

It is irritating, though, to listen to Kriegel rattle on about the need for a single spokesperson, when that is not how other sports established themselves as mainstream. This, perhaps, is the most frustrating piece of rhetoric I’ve ever heard, because it attempts to be helpful while remaining (like much mainstream coverage) completely uninformed.

Now, Kriegel chooses to mention that Dana White is a former aerobics instructor, instead of the fact that he’s the behind the scenes guy who played a major role in orchestrating the career success of both Liddell and Ortiz as the manager for both fighters. That’s a stupid oversight, but not one worth condemning on its face, as it happens to be true that Dana taught aerobics (still, I would fire whoever did the half-assed research designed to dislodge some of White’s credibility if I were Kriegel; though I’m quite happy I’m not).

The central point, though, and the bit of Kriegel’s video rant that really pisses me off is much more pointed (and I apologize for burying my lead this deep):

The UFC doesn’t need a single crossover star.